1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drop-down door for a vehicle overhead console, and more particularly to an overhead console door with a hinge having a cam to control the movement of the door which opens under the influence of gravity.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, vehicles have included a variety of storage compartments for the convenient storage of relatively small items such as garage door openers, sunglasses, and the like. Many of these items are stored in overhead compartments which are centrally located in the roof area of the vehicle and which include doors that pivot downwardly when opened. In some cases, a compartment door may include a button accessible from the exterior thereof that engages with the button of a garage door opener located within the compartment when the door is closed. The compartments or doors may also include integral pockets for receiving other small personal items.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,922 to Falcoff, discloses an overhead console with a door pivotably attached to a console housing through an axle which has a wire spring wound therearound. The spring is said to bias the door to its open position or in the alternative, to damp the opening movement of the door under its own weight. A pin on the door is received within a groove in the console to guide the door during movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,365 to Marcus et al. describes an overhead console having a door pivotally attached thereto. The door has a compartment for storing items such as sunglasses therein. The door includes a pair of spaced hinges which have a flange secured along the top edge of the door, an arcuate segment, and a second flange pivotally attached to the arcuate segment through a pin and barrel arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,880 to Kinane relates to an overhead console for a vehicle having a console door. A button actuatable from outside the console is located on the door. The button has a peg for contacting an actuator on a garage door opener located within the console. The button is biased downwardly against the door by a leaf spring which also functions to hold the garage door opener in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,974 to Vigneau et al. relates to an overhead console having a garage door opener located therein. The garage door opener is mounted to a door of the console. The door has a button for actuating the garage door opener. A number of removable pins of varying length are integrally molded to a lever which mounts an actuating button. These pins are removable from the lever and fit within holes in the lever in alignment with an actuating button on the garage door opener. Typically, all pins are removed until the correct match is found. The remainder of the pins are then discarded and are unavailable in the event of a change in the garage door opener.
Although the above references are satisfactory for their intended purpose, they do not recognize the potential danger of opening the door when loose objects are located within the compartment. Objects that may have worked loose due to vibration or due to their careless placement within the compartment could fall when the door is opened causing distraction and/or injury to the vehicle's occupants. Door rattle is another common problem among the prior art when the compartment door is open. As the vehicle travels, any vibrations transmitted from the suspension to the body will subsequently be transferred to the open compartment door, again causing distraction to the operator and subsequent weakening of the door hinge mechanism. Some previous hinge mechanisms also require separate pieces with added cost or complicated structure which increase assembly time and manufacturing expense.